Pillar of the Greats
by CinderPeltLover
Summary: Rated T because it's Warriors. We know how the Tribe came - the Ancients left the lake. We also know that the Clans came from the Tribe, so they essentially came from the Ancients. But do you know how the Ancients came to be? ON HOLD
1. Prologue

**So, just a little idea I thought of a while back. Enjoy :)**

Swift Fox groggily woke at dawn. His sister, Flooded Stream, and her mate, Thistle, was still sound asleep. He carefully stepped over them and his mother. Everyone else around the lake lived by themselves, maybe with one other cat. His family, however, believed in strength in numbers. They lived in the prey-rich area around a huge hollow made of stone cut by Nofurs. Only badgers inhabited it now, but a big den the Nofurs used near the hollow was a great den for cats, too.

The cool season was ending, giving in to the bitter cold season. During the cold season, prey was extremely hard to find. Everyone was spoiling themselves now while they could. At this time of year, in his family, everyone got two times as much prey so they could last longer in cold season without food. That meant three squirrels for his sister, who was expecting Thistle's kits in about a moon. _I wish I knew who _my _father was_, he thought. It never bothered Flooded Stream, and whenever he asked Tall Willow, his mother, she only said he was a strong, brave cat that mysteriously disappeared one day.

* * *

"Flooded Stream." Swift Fox prodded his sister's shoulder. She didn't budge. "Flooded Stream."

"I'll wake her," Thistle offered. He whispered into her ear and she shot up. "Look; Swift Fox brought our food."

"Thank you." Now that she was no longer in shock from being struck awake, she was beginning to fall asleep again.

"I couldn't find any squirrels, but shrews were everywhere," he reported. "I got plenty of them." He pushed forward his catch. Everyone ate their usual amount for this part of the season.

"I'm going to stretch my legs. Thistle, do you want to come with me?" Flooded Stream asked.

"Sure," he answered.

"I'll go find some supplies," Tall Willow offered. She was still young and strong, which was good, because thy needed branches to make a new den; their current one was falling apart.

Swift Fox silently padded to the lakeshore. He always found the rolling pebbles and splashing waves comforting. This was a morning of their normal lives, and they needed to savor it, because cold season was all about food, and nothing else.

**So kind of short, but is it good? I have a good actual story planned in my head.**


	2. Chapter 1

**No reviews. Oh well, that's okay.**

**And I just realized that besides gender, I never described the characters. Here's a mini allegiances list:**

**Swift Fox: Ginger tom with white paws and ice-blue eyes**

**Flooded Stream: Patched dark ginger-and-white she-cat with pale green eyes**

**Tall Willow: Gray she-cat with pale green eyes**

**Thistle: White tom with dark brown tabby patches and dark blue eyes**

The dreaded cold season had come. Swift Fox and Thistle, especially Thistle, keep Flooded Stream a priority since according to Leaf, an old tom that lives under a young oak by the shore, she was only days away from kitting.

"What did you find?" Swift Fox asked Thistle after a hunting trip.

"I just got a mouse," he replied.

"I got a rabbit." Swift Fox could tell that Thistle was impressed, and it wasn't wrong to be. A large rabbit was a rare find during cold season.

"The snow's a bit early," Tall Willow commented when they returned with their catch. Flooded Stream got the rabbit and the others managed to split the two mice.

"At least we have some," Flooded Stream pointed out.

_But some may not be enough_, Swift Fox thought as he chewed the stringy mouse. He was still definitely grateful though; some cats died in the cold season. Not from the lack of warmth, but of hunger.

"Let's all go out for a short walk for some exercise," Tall Willow suggested, trying to brighten the mood. "We can't spend all cold season huddled up in here."

"I'm coming too," Flooded Stream insisted. Her bulging belly swayed as she rose.

"No you're not," Swift Fox countered.

"I'll stay with her," Thistle offered.

"No, I will."

He sighed. "...Okay. Just... take care of her."

* * *

A long time had passed and hey still hadn't returned. Swift Fox din't worry, though, because sometimes they took long walks. _They might be investigating_, he reminded himself. He looked at his sister, but she was sound asleep. He saw her belly contract and expand that wasn't ordinary breathing, so he decided o find the others or maybe Leaf. He was scared to leave her, but he wouldn't be gone long, and he would have help.

"Flooded Stream, I'm leaving for a bit," he informed her.

"Okay," she mumbled.

He went off in search of the young oak and Leaf.

* * *

Usually, the path to the oak was stoney, but it was covered in a thick, hard layer of snow now. He passed the badger settlement and and saw the naked branches of Leaf's oak.

"Leaf?" he called. The old gray tom popped out of a hollow under a root.

"Yes?" he asked. "Let me guess, it's about your queen?" He disappeared for a moment and popped out again with sticks and leaves in his jaws.

Together, they ran back to the Nofur den to help Flooded Stream.

But when hey got back, the kits were already entered into the world.

But none of the cats were moving.

Including Flooded Stream.

**So, yeah, a cliffhanger ;) But tell me how it is.**


	3. Chapter 2

**...Okay, still no reviews. I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS LIKE IT!  
**

"I'll... check on them," Leaf promised. "Go find your family."**  
**

Swift Fox sadly padded out in search of his family. He didn't search long before he saw them returning from their walk.

"Swift Fox? What's wrong?" Tall Willow asked.

He hung his head. "...It's Flooded Stream."

Thistle pushed his way forward. "What's wrong with her?"

"Well, I'm not sure. Leaf's here, and he's helping."

Thistle sighed. "Okay."

He led them into their den, everyone expecting the worst.

* * *

Leaf stood over Flooded Stream and four tiny scraps. Surprisingly, instead of Thistle, Tall Willow padded forward to his sister. She and Leaf discussed something and she looked up. "She's alive," she meowed almost blankly after moons of suspense.

"Can we see her?" Thistle asked.

They discussed this as well. "Yes," she answered.

He rushed over and frantically began whispering in her ear. She didn't shoot awake until she saw the four bundles of fur. She and Thistle worked together to help them find her.

"It's three toms and a she-kit, but they're so weak, I..." Leaf trailed off as soon as everyone figured out what he meant.

_Why is it so cold this time? I doubt there's ever been a cold season this cold. This is _extreme_ season. _He saw three of the kits moving, and one still off to the side. One of them may have pushed it because it wasn't of concern at the moment. Two were at her belly and one dragging behind. It fell with a thud and was also pushed away. The remaining two were ravenously suckling. Then attention was given to the other two.

"The toms." Flooded Stream hung her head and pouted. One stillborn, one too weak. All because of a cruel start to the cold season.

* * *

A day later, the time had come to bury the two toms. Leaf agreed to stay with Flooded Stream's remaining kits so she could go. They wouldn't exactly be actually buried, but set off into the lake. It was honorary for all cats that died around the lake. Because they were so small, they found a large leaf that was still green and set them on it while letting it drift away.

Both of them were white-furred, as if showing exactly what killed them. Before their drift, Thistle pried their eyelids open and saw that they were blue, just as something to remember them by. They all watched until the leaf couldn't be seen and headed back.


	4. Chapter 3

**GUYS, SERIOUSLY! Thanks for all the views. BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT! I need REviews too for the story!**

When they returned to their den, Leaf was still huddled with the remainder of Flooded Stream's litter, not that they expected him to leave. The two kits were both gray-brown with black stripes.

"Is it okay if I leave now?" Leaf asked. Even if he knew it was okay to, he always asked.

Swift Fox nodded his head. He wanted Leaf _gone_. Not that he was a nuisance, but he needed to think in a quiet or calm place. Usually the floor above them was quiet, but it just wasn't natural. He needed the gentleness of the lake.

He rushed to a stump that was so old and small, and so close to the shore, sometimes the stump was completely submerged in a larger wave.

_There has to be a way to fox this_, he thought. _There _has _to be a way. What if cold season next time is worse? _Should all the cats at the lake group up? No; not everyone would join. Prey rations, where cats gave a fourth of their catch for later use? Still no, some cats might hoard. But again with a big group, not everyone had to join. So that seemed right. But what would he say?

"Hey, are you okay?" He whipped around, angry for the cat for disturbing his careful thoughts, but then he realized it was just Thistle.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Has Flooded Stream named the kits yet?"

He shook his head. "She wants to wait until their eyes are opened. What are you doing?"

"Just thinking."

"You think like that a lot."

"Well, I like the peace that comes with it."

"What are you thinking about? I mean, you don't _have _to answer, just if you want to."

"The lake needs unification."

"Are you sure? You know some cats will strongly defy that."

"But others need it."

Thistle seemed to consider that. "True. But what will you say?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Thistle nodded. "Do you want me to leave now?"

"Yes, please." Swift Fox made sure to say it in a way so it didn't sound rude. Thistle quietly left, but he remembered. "Wait!" Thistle turned around.

"What?"

"If you go hunting, I need you to spread the word that the unification meeting is on the island when at moonhigh at the next half moon!" he replied almost panicked, as if he expected Thistle to disappear.

"Okay." The patched tom left before he could say anything else.

_What was I thinking? The next half moon? That's tonight! I can't use an evening to make a speech to make all the cats at the lake a whole! _But it was too late. He began thinking about it, because if it was going to work, he needed to start now.

* * *

At the island at moonhigh, Swift Fox saw many more cats than he expected with only a moment's notice of a speech. He quieted everyone and took a deep breath.

**ReViEw I pLeAsE nEeD rEvIeWs!**


	5. Chapter 4

**OHMYSTARCLANOHMYSTARCLANOHMYSTARCLAN!**

**THANK YOU SNOWPAW11!1111!11!11!1 It's even my birthday!**

**Did I overreact?**

"I've been noticing strange happenings lately, with the cold season, I mean. Why is it do much colder this time?" His informal approach seemed to be working, as cats were perking their ears. "What if it's colder next time?" This got a lot if attention, because cats began to mumble. "I'd like to ask a question: Have any if you seen or known about any deaths because of the cold season this time?"

"I saw two kits," a cat in the crowd answered. _Exactly what I needed to hear!_

He nodded his head. "They were my sister's, and her mate's, Thistle." A few cats began to feel deep sympathy, as Thistle wasn't an unpopular cat, and actually knowing your father was rare.

"I think we should stop this madness and needless agony. We should all become one. We will all live together. Does anyone agree?"

Everyone was quiet, and he was afraid he embarrassed himself. Then murmurs rose, then yowls. Then he noticed it was only about half the cats, they were just really loud. But it was better than no one. This was perfect. So many cats' lives spared against the cold. He smiled. "Those that agree must meet with me at the dip in the moor at sunhigh tomorrow."

* * *

Swift Fox returned with his head high. "I heard you from here," Tall Willow purred.

"I'm not surprised," he replied. "There were so many cats that were so loud."

"What are you going to do next?" asked Flooded Stream.

"All pro-group cats will meet at the dip in the moor tomorrow."

"How many were there?"

"A lot, from what I could tell. More than fifteen."

"That's good for making a sustaining group," Tall Willow commented.

"I know. That's why I'm so pleased."

"Well, if you're going to be intriguing tomorrow, you need sleep."

"I know. Honestly, I'm not a kit!" He settled himself in and quickly, very excited.

* * *

The next day came and Swift Fox was at the dip at dawn he was so excited. Once all the cats were there, it was about as many as he'd predicted last night. The idea was perfect, and they came up with where their camp would be, and what would be the order of life: everyone would still be independent because they hunted their own prey, but they had new companions to rely on as well, not just how many mice decided to leave their holes.

"Are you willing to live here in these conditions?" he asked. They all answered yes in some way or another.

"Come again tomorrow at our camp. May you have peace in the night."

Swift Fox trotted home very happily. Nothing could be better. He felt like he was about to rule the world.


	6. Chapter 5

**So now it's a 1 on priority list, just as a reminder. And I have no clue at all where the Ancients' camp was, besides that it was around the lake. If I get it wrong, you guys tell me and I'll correct it.**

Swift Fox padded to the camp that his group decided on. It was the dip that they met in the day before. His family was coming with him, of course, and he proudly led them.

"Settle down!" he called. Everyone obeyed his command. "...Well, just start on hunting, I guess, but leave a few behind, because there were some cats strongly against a union." About five cats stayed, but he only recognized one, a pale ginger she-cat named Lark.

"Hi," she greeted. He dipped his head respectfully and sat beside her.

"You're Lark?" he asked.

"I'm her sister, Seed. Lark went hunting. I know, we do look quite similar."

"Did you live together?"

"No, she lived by herself, and I lived with my mate."

"I see."

They then sat together in a comfortable silence. The hunting cats returned one-by-one shortly, and a few cats brought prey for the watching cats.

He looked around for Lark, wanting to meet her since he knew her sister. He saw her come and he greeted her.

"Hello," she replied. "So this is the place. It's nice, compared to where I was. I was in the marsh."

"Oh." The marsh was a horrible place to live, since most of the dark-hearted cats were there so they could be unseen. All cats that attempted to leave were killed, and prey was so scarce, some cats had to fight to the death for a shrew.

"I barely made it out. In fact, most of the cats that wanted to unionize were victims of the marsh. A lot of cats were killed that night."

Swift Fox became a bit frightened. The marsh was across the lake, but it wouldn't be hard for them to come and kill or retake all the escaped cats.

"How many others escaped?" he asked.

"None." Make that the escaped cat.

He gently laid his tail over her. "I'll make sure you never set paw in the shadows of the marsh again." She smiled weakly at him.

* * *

Flooded Stream finally decided to name her kits. The she-kit was Frozen Lake and the tom was Bare Tree. No matter what trouble they got into, the aspect of kits during the bitter cold season was enough to make them constantly adored. Swift Fox heard that Seed was now expecting kits from a tom named Badger who was taught by Leaf. Leaf decided not to join the group because there were still cats that didn't want to, and they wouldn't have someone to go to if they were sick anymore.

"They're always getting away with something," Badger purred.

"And they've learned how to take advantage of that very well," he replied. He looked over the camp with cats chattering away and the kits running around, thinking about all the things that he accomplished by integrating the lake.

**I bet you guys are going to start shipping Lark and Swift Fox now. But there's a reason I included them as a them.**


	7. Chapter 6

Swift Fox opened his eyes, ready to start today. The ground was white with new snow that was still falling. Frozen Lake was giggling hysterically at Bare Tree, who's thick pelt was causing him to catch most of the snow that fell. Her thinner coat caught much less. He smiled and carried on.

"Do you want to go hunting?" He saw Lark trotting up to him.

"Sure," he answered.

Soon the gray clouds broke and the blue sky was seen. It was only a little bit, but it didn't matter. The prey was running enough, and they were happy. They each returned with two mice and hungrily devoured them together.

"I really like your group idea," Lark commented. "You have someone you can rely on."

"That's what I made it for," he replied.

"I know."

* * *

Swift Fox returned to his camp to see what he could do. There was nothing and everything was running smoothly, so he went to find something to do. He found that sleeping would turn out fine and he took a nap under a large bush he found.

He woke up later and found the camp milling around with other cats that returned from their hunting. They were all chatting and walking and finding something to do, just like he was when he came in. Nothing was very interesting, but he needed to do something. He heaved himself up and saw a lonely Bark, a very old cat that always had tales to tell.

"I saw it, and I walked very slowly around the tree." Bark was telling a story to Flooded Stream's kits and Swift Fox was listening. It was about when he had to escape a falcon. "It was staring straight at me, and I had to almost act like I was a statue. It flew down to get me, but I ran and I even killed it. I had a great dinner that night."

"What does falcon taste like?" Bare Tree asked.

"It's very unique. I can't really describe it."

"I'll catch my own falcon one day!" Frozen Lake boasted.

"I'll catch it first!" Bare Tree countered.

"I'll catch one _now_!" Frozen Lake ran off.

"Wait!" Swift Fox meowed. She was already off in the moor. He growled to himself.

"Will she be okay?" Bare Tree asked. "I didn't know that would happen."

"It will." _If we find her_, he thought.

* * *

"Frozen Lake!" Swift Fox called out. "Frozen Lake!" No answer.

"She might be trying to stay quiet because she sees a falcon," Bare Tree suggested.

"She might. For the sky's sake, she'd better not have actually found one."

"I hope not too, but she's quick. She could escape into a bush in no time flat."

"If she really is cornered by a falcon, we may as well let her eat it so this won't happen again."

But his legs began pumping when he saw a falcon dive.

"_Help!_"

**LOL right at 500 words.**


	8. Chapter 7

"Frozen Lake!" Swift Fox ran as fast as he could across the moor to the source of the voice. _Notagainnotagainnotagainnotagain! _he thought as he ran. _She'd better be okay! _

He was basically racing against the speeding falcon, which told him where to go. She was in a bush, like Bare Tree predicted. "Hold on! I'm here!" He was at the bush and was frantically going through the thick, thorny branches, and he finally got to her.

"Swift Fox!" she cried. "I'm sorry! He made it sound so easy!"

"Well it isn't," he quickly scolded. He picked her up and ran. At a safe distance, he put her down.

"But the falcon..." she whined. "You didn't catch it?"

"_Of course I didn't catch it!_" he yowled. "_Why would you run off out of the camp to catch something that could put your life at risk?_"

Her ears drooped. "I-I don't-"

"_You are an idiot if you think you could catch anything, much less a falcon, at a moon old!_"

She hung her head and he saw he had been too harsh on her. "I'm really sorry."

He picked her up. "I know. And you'll be confined to your mother's side until Seed's kits are born."

Her jaw hung. "What? But it'll be one and a half moons!"

"Exactly. Maybe you'll learn how to act during that time."

She _hmph_ed in humiliation and let him carry on.

* * *

"Frozen Lake!" Flooded Stream ran up to her kit. "You have no idea how worried I was, and you're in so much trouble-"

"I've already worked it out," Swift Fox interrupted.

"What?" she asked.

"Being within your sight until Seed's kits are born."

"That seems adequate."

"Alright then. Let's start it now."

* * *

Swift Fox went to find Lark and tell her that Frozen Lake was found, since she had a soft spot for his sister's kits, and saw her finally stalking a mouse. He hid and pounced on it right when she was about to. She jumped back and realized it was just him, and he pushed the mouse to her.

"I found Frozen Lake," he reported.

"Oh, good!" she beamed. "Flooded Stream or Thistle don't deserve to lose another kit."

"I know. Maybe Seed won't have so many losses."

She pushed the mouse to him. "Let's share it."

He smiled. "Okay."

With that, they each pushed the mouse back and forth to each other, in a comfortable silence.

**A little short, I know. But hey - it's better than always wondering what happened to Frozen Lake.**


	9. Chapter 8

Swift Fox padded into the camp with his head high. One of the younger cats, Shadow, dipped his head.

"Hello, Swift Fox," he addressed delicately, as if saying his name was a great honor. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm alright, thank you," he responded. Shadow promptly padded away to find something else to do. He went to Bark's den, because the old tom preferred being alone, unless he was telling a story.

"Well," Bark cued the start of another story, "I came up with this little piece in no time at all. Do you want to hear it?"

Everyone answered yes.

"_Young, inexperienced cats still have a kit's soft paws,  
And older cats have a true hunter's sharp claws._"

"That's good," Shadow commented.

One of Shadow's siblings from an older litter, Spider, nudged him. "It is, _softpaw_." Shadow snorted playfully.

"Don't get too rough now," Swift Fox reminded.

"I wasn't going to actually hurt him," Spider replied.

"Just making sure. You _softpaws _always getting into trouble."

"Yeah," Shadow added, "I'm not the only softpaw here. You're correct, great sharpclaw."

He twitched his whiskers in amusement and left.

**I know, it's veryveryveryveryvery short. I'm so sorry. I have writer's block, but I'm still going to do my best.**


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